Should you take drugs for mildly elevated blood pressure?

Medication for high blood pressure is extremely common. But who needs it? How high should the blood pressure be before medication is indicated? Usually a blood pressure above 140/90 is said to be high and a lot of people are then put on drugs.

Eating less sugar and starch may be a healthier way of lowering a mildly elevated blood pressure. A significantly reduced blood pressure has been shown in a number of studies testing low carb diets for weight loss (lower than on other weight loss diets). And I see it regularly in my patients.

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Ruby

August 22 20127

I am a living proof. I was never obese, not even overweight, and exercised regularly, yet I had what a number of doctors considered high BP (avg. 140/85) and was advised to take drugs ASAP. I ignored them and reduced my sugar and grain intake instead. Just a few months down the road, my BP averages 120/70.
The "downside" of this advice is that it will not generate any money for doctors, big pharma as well as sugar and grain producers :-)

I convinced my mom to go on a LC diet. She is 75,lives in Moscow, and her BP without meds was around 160/100. In 3 day it went 125/80 and still there. She is overweight, on LC she lost only 23 lb, but her energy got much better , GERD greatly improved, she didn't get a seasonal flu during previous year.

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You can download a free personal copy of the paperZinc, copper, and blood pressure: Human population studies
I haven't read it yet but my money would be on increasing copper a little (2mg/d) to counterbalance excess zinc.
This is not to be regarded as medical advice as I haven't yet read what the paper says.

These dietary changes are a most important aspect of your high blood pressure remedy.
The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension),
is a highly endorsed diet program to follow in controlling and possibly eliminating hypertension.
Once your reading goes over 140 systolic (top number), or 90 diastolic (bottom number), your risk of
cardiovascular disease increase.

If you live in the UK then a Lloydspharmacy Blood Pressure Monitor and Cuff £14.99 is perfectly adequate. Several times I've taken mine with me to an appointment and checked the pressure on my Llodspharmacy BP monitor with the reading from the nurse at the surgery using their monitor and I've always found the special offer Lloyds monitor is consistent with the readings from the Surgery.monitor.

Do be aware that correcting potassium, magnesium and vitamin D3 levels will almost certainly drop BP readings. Most of us consume only about half the 4700mg potassium adequate intake and would benefit from increasing potassium by 2g daily.

If you really can't manage the 7~9 portions of vegetables daily then at least make up the difference with potassium bicarbonate which is available as a food grade powder from EBAY or consider Potassium Bicarbonate capsules.

Great article except how long and how strict does a person need to be? I mean does it takes months for your BP to get a normal pressure? And in the meantime, can you be risking your life? The strain on your heart, etc. while trying something that may or may not work? I had to lose weight. My heart doctor but me on pills and I changed the diet, exercised more and I did cut out sugar/ etc. I dropped weight in 6 months. My heart doctor then slowly took me off the pills. I'm now fine and have maintained healthy weigh and low BP. I think consulting a professional before trying something. If you not you may end up in an ER.

Hello all, I have a question about LCHF diet. I have tried this diet many times and I really lost weight. The problems are:
1 - My cholesterol goes high
2 - My Uric Acid also goes high
3 - My faeces get too hard

I normally have low blood pressure (about 100/75) which has been exacerbated since I started the LCHF diet (going into 4th week). I exercise in the morning and I am trying intermittent training on the exercise bike (3m warm up, 30s sprint 30s normal, 3m cool down for a total of 15min, followed by about 30m of weight training, abs and stretching) and for 2 mornings in a row my bp has been 80/50). Feeling very fatigued, but able to lead a normal life. Is this due to the lack of carbs in my diet and the exercise combined? Could I be dehydrated? I do drink more water than normal (1- 1.5 litre a day) and about 4 cups of tea/coffee a day with 1 sugar. Any advise?

Make sure you get the salt you need.. becuse your body regulat blood pressure by taking up salt, and water comes with it by osmos.. with more water your blood volym get higher and your blood presure rises.

And to that.. more HDL says to make a better vasodilation.. and one get more HDL by a fat diet and excersise!

Whit more salt you get more water in your blood.. but its temporary.. if your body dont like it.

It takes time to be adapted to the exercising in a fasted state or while eating a LC diet .Absolute minimum is 3 weeks, but it took me longer - I am not very young. I would say it is worth trying - you will get much more endurance as a result.

I have started on the LCHF diet about 2 weeks ago and got great numbers from my blood GI readings. Been a Type 2 diabetic on Glicazide 6omg once a day and Metformin 800mg twice a day since 2010.

I have managed to contain the GI numbers while at the same time reduced my medicine intake to just Glicazide 60mg once a day and still manage to get below 5 mm/ol (90) morning readings most of the time and the occasional 5.5 (99) once or twice a week.

Problem is my blood pressure has gone up to as high as 169/90 and at times even higher. The average readings during the daytime is almost always about 140 on the systolic and the diastolic will remain below 80 for most time.

A lot of people with mild elevated blood pressure like 140/90 are putted on drugs such as beta-blockers with serious side effects including sexual performances. Why people accept to take drugs while studies clear show no decreasing in mortality or any cardiac related events.

Mr. Didar Singh. You should walk daily. Early in the morning, before brushing you teeth, put some 20 no of colongee in a glass of hot water and drink before going to wash room every morning. 500 ml of hot water is better. Best of luck

You should also drink one glass of loki grinded in grinder with water.

I have a very strange situation with my BP, it is around the normal most of the times (75/115-85/125) except at around noon it gets up to 105/155 for around 20 minutes, and in the afternoon again in the order of 100/140 for around half an hour, this happens almost everyday since I was in my late teens, I am 40 now but I fear this type of fluctuation can be life threatening at some stage.
note; i am 80Kg, 175 cm, I eat healthy food: no salt, no sugar, very little bread, no fat, lot of fruits and vegs, I walk daily.
is there any clue as doctors did not know the cause of my situation.

I am a young woman of 32yrs old . I recently went to check my kidney function only to find out i have Adpkd and my blood presure has always been btw 130 to 135 over 85 since i found out about this. my doctor has placed me on lisinopril 10mg to lower my pressure but am worried and keep asking myself how long i will live on drugs?...the side effects and my future.. Is there anything i can do to lower and stable my bp instead of drugs?...Does anyone also know what foods that can help my adpkd as they say it has no cure but some certain foods can make it worst. i have tried to research on internet here but confusion is just too much for me to handle..... thanks and may God bless you for your help

Hi. Ive had headaches n hot episodes for about a month so visited my practice nurse. Bp was measured at 130/103. Been advised to check bp over next two weeks. Its sitting at 157/109. Should I be worried. Im 45 female and slightly overweight.

I am Faheem today my BP is 150/90 but it happen to me before on three or four times doctor ask for five reading and most are normal so I don't start medicine my ECG are normal all the time as well as my sugar and chloestrol .my BP rise due to stress should I start medicine on occasional rise in blood pressure